INDIAN DEADLOCK

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 November 1939, Page 8

INDIAN DEADLOCK

HINDUS AND MOSLEMS

SETTLEMENT EFFORTS FAIL

[BY CABLE —PRESS ABSN. —COPYBIGHT.]

LONDON, November 6. The Delhi correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain says that Lord Linlithgow’s negotiations to reach an agreement with the Indian Congress have reached a deadlock. Correspondence between the Viceroy and the Indian leaders reveals that the main obstacle is the failure of tne predominantly Hindu Congress and the Moslem League to settle their differences. Lord Linlithgow sent a letter to Mr. Gandhi and Dr. Rajendra Prasad and Mr. Jinnah offering Cabinet seats to Congress and Moslem League representatives, but the replies were negative.

VICEROY’S PROPOSALS.

REPLY FROM CONGRESS

[BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.!

RUGBY, November 5

Together with Lord Linlithgow’s statement (published yesterday) is issued the text of a letter from the Viceroy to the Congress and Moslem leaders, and their replies to it. The Viceroy’s letter sets out fully the concrete proposals which appear in a more summary form in his statement, together with extracts from his statement of October IS., The following extracts from the letter perhaps amplify the summary to show the full extent of the Viceroy’s proposals in regard to the proposition of expansion of the Governor-General’s Council: — “You would enter upon discussions between yourselves with a view to discovering whether you could reach a basis of agreement between yourselves in the provincial field, consequent on which you could let me have proposals which would result in representatives of your two organisations immediately participating in the Central Government as members of my Executive Council ”

“Third, that the position of anyone appointed to the Executive Council as a member of a political party would be identical in privilege and obligation with that of the existing members... .” “Fourth, that the arrangement would be within the general scheme of the existing law. It would be, admittedly and inevitably, a make-shift arrangement for the duration of the campaign.” The reply from the Congress leader states: —"We find ourselves unable to vary the answer we gave during our interview. At the outset, we would like to say that both Mr. Gandhi and I missed, at the interview, any reference to the moral issue raised by the Congress about the clarification of the war aims, without which it was impossible for Congress to consider the subsidiary proposal. The present crisis has arisen because of the outbreak of war in Europe and the action of the British Government in declaring India a belligerent country without the consent of the Indian people. The crisis is entirely political, and not related to the communal issue of India. It has raised vital questions in regard to the war aims of the British Government, and the position of India in relation to them.” The letter then speaks of the Working Committee’s statement of September 14, and the endorsement of it by the All-India Congress Committee on October 10, and recites in summary the demands contained in it, especially that “the Indian people must have the right of self-determination by forming their own constitution through the Constituent Assembly,” and that “Indian freedom must be based on democracy and unity, and full recognition and protection of the rights of minorities.” The letter then sets out the consideration and refusal of the Viceroy’s statement, and the decision to call on Congress Ministries to resign.

“MAIN ISSUE CLOUDED.”

After stating that the declarations made by the British Parliament made an essential difference to the British declared policy, the letter continued: “It has clouded the main issue. It has been repeatedly said on behalf of the Congress that we earnestly desire to settle all points in the communal controversy by agreement, and we propose to continue bur efforts to this end. We would point out that this question has not come in the way of the declaration of freedom suggested above. Such declaration applies to the whole of India and not to a particular community, and the constituent assembly by which the constitution will be framed will be formed on the widest possible basis of franchise, and by agreement in accord with communal representation. “We are all agreed that there must lie full protection of minority rights and interests, and this protection should be by agreement between the parties concerned: The British Government taking or sharing the burden, in our opinion, has made settlement of the question much more difficult.

“It should allay all real anxiety on the part of the British Government when Congress declares that it contemplates no constitution which does not carry protection of real minorities to their satisfaction. It seems to us clear that a declaration of the kind suggested is an essential preliminary to any further consideration of the matter.

“We should like to add that recent developments in the European war have made it all the more necessary for a clear enunciation of war aims. If a satisfactory declaration is made, discussion of the proposal made by

your Excellency will be appropriate and useful, and we will be glad to discuss it.”

The reply of Mr. Jinnah, the Moslem leader, after setting out the proposals made at the interview on November 1, and recapitulated in the Viceroy’s letter, states: 1 “In consequence, I met the leaders of the Congress and was informed by them finally that they had come to the conclusion that they could not discuss any questions in regard to the matters referred to in your letter of the 2nd inst., relating to the provincial field or ‘at the camp’ until the British Government complied with the demand embodied in the resolution of the All-India Congress Committee. Hence these two questions were not further discussed.”

PUNJAB SUPPORTS BRITAIN

LAHORE, November 6.

The Punjab Legislative Assembly, by 104 votes to 49, offered unconditional .support to Britain for the prosecution of the war.

GANDHI’S ATTITUDE.

NAGPUR. November 6

Mr. Gandhi pledges himself to resist civil disobedience, unless he finds that the country is prepared for it, but he points out that non-co-operation has already begun, with the resignatio nof the Congress Ministries.

VICEROY’S DAUGHTER MARRIED

LONDON, November 6

The Delhi correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain states that the Viceroy celebrated the marriage of his daughter, Lady Ann Hope, to Lieutenant Patrick Southby, of the Royal Navy, A.D.C. to the Viceroy, by free meals for 5000 of Delhi’s poor people.